Enter a hidden world of winged vampire warriors—and the women they are sworn protect. Born of Ashes is the fourth breathtaking novel in paranormal romance author Caris Roane's Guardians of Ascension series... For years, she was kept as a human slave—one of seven unwilling "blood donors" for the death vampires who thirst for absolute power. Now, Fiona is a free woman, haunted by her memories of being strapped to a gurney, drained of blood, then revived at the last moment. She lives to avenge her captors—but only one warrior can help her... Jean-Pierre has lived and fought for over two-hundred years. He knows the triumph of slaying a death vampire, but has never known anything like the feelings that arise when he becomes Fiona's guardian. Her beauty, her pain, her passion—and her growing power—consume his senses. Now the warrior must draw his sword once more—and fight the gates of hell itself—for love.

Washington State Trooper Mike Buckingham was an ordinary man, used by God to accomplish extraordinary things. On April 12, 1981, while in high-speed pursuit of a drunk driver, Mike's patrol car crashed, bursting into flames. Despite sustaining painful and disfiguring injuries, Mike survived and dedicated the rest of his life to educating and inspiring others. With his joyful spirit and abundant optimism, he attracted others to his message of hope, and he delivered over 4,000 motivational speeches. His timeless message instilled the value of faith in action, finding purpose, making good choices, displaying unselfishness, and offering forgiveness. In Triumph Born of Ashes, author Ward Buckingham doesn't shy away from revealing his youngest brother's human frailties as he responded to tremendous challenges in the aftermath of his accident. None of us are excluded from experiencing trials and tragedies in life, even those who lead courageously and serve selflessly. Even Christians. Trooper Mike Buckingham's honest and deeply moving story helps others see beyond their own limited ability to make sense of life's trials and offers motivation to leverage the worst for God's best. We are all just an accident away from eternity. Trooper Mike Buckingham's heartwarming message equips people of all ages to emerge in triumph.

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • No book before this one has rendered the story of cigarettes—mankind's most common self-destructive instrument and its most profitable consumer product—with such sweep and enlivening detail. "A great battleship of a book—formidable, majestic.”—The New York Times Book Review Here for the first time, in a story full of the complexities and contradictions of human nature, all the strands of the historical process—financial, social, psychological, medical, political, and legal—are woven together in a riveting narrative. The key characters are the top corporate executives, public health investigators, and antismoking activists who have clashed ever more stridently as Americans debate whether smoking should be closely regulated as a major health menace. We see tobacco spread rapidly from its aboriginal sources in the New World 500 years ago, as it becomes increasingly viewed by some as sinful and some as alluring, and by government as a windfall source of tax revenue. With the arrival of the cigarette in the late-nineteenth century, smoking changes from a luxury and occasional pastime to an everyday—to some, indispensable—habit, aided markedly by the exuberance of the tobacco huskers. This free-enterprise success saga grows shadowed, from the middle of this century, as science begins to understand the cigarette's toxicity. Ironically the more detailed and persuasive the findings by medical investigators, the more cigarette makers prosper by seeming to modify their product with filters and reduced dosages of tar and nicotine. We see the tobacco manufacturers come under intensifying assault as a rogue industry for knowingly and callously plying their hazardous wares while insisting that the health charges against them (a) remain unproven, and (b) are universally understood, so smokers indulge at their own risk. Among the eye-opening disclosures here: outrageous pseudo-scientific claims made for cigarettes throughout the '30s and '40s, and the story of how the tobacco industry and the National Cancer Institute spent millions to develop a "safer" cigarette that was never brought to market. Dealing with an emotional subject that has generated more heat than light, this book is a dispassionate tour de force that examines the nature of the companies' culpability, the complicity of society as a whole, and the shaky moral ground claimed by smokers who are now demanding recompense.

From a leading journalist and activist comes a brave, beautifully wrought memoir. When Darnell Moore was fourteen, three boys from his neighborhood tried to set him on fire. They cornered him while he was walking home from school, harassed him because they thought he was gay, and poured a jug of gasoline on him. He escaped, but just barely. It wasn't the last time he would face death. Three decades later, Moore is an award-winning writer, a leading Black Lives Matter activist, and an advocate for justice and liberation. In No Ashes in the Fire, he shares the journey taken by that scared, bullied teenager who not only survived, but found his calling. Moore's transcendence over the myriad forces of repression that faced him is a testament to the grace and care of the people who loved him, and to his hometown, Camden, NJ, scarred and ignored but brimming with life. Moore reminds us that liberation is possible if we commit ourselves to fighting for it, and if we dream and create futures where those who survive on society's edges can thrive. No Ashes in the Fire is a story of beauty and hope-and an honest reckoning with family, with place, and with what it means to be free.

God has allowed me to finally live a fairytale's happily ever after. However, as you have probably guessed by now, my fairytale had some nightmares, villains, and a plot that was undesirable. It was a journey that caused me to question God and question my existence. In the beginning, I didn't quite understand how true the Word of God was. I thought that I was in complete control of my life, and believed that my destiny was in my hands. My plan and route to success was unquestionable. I did the right things and tried to treat people the way that I wanted to be treated. I knew that God loved me and that I had His favor. So, why wasn't everything perfect? Why was I given this plot, this path, this journey? One might say that our destiny is determined by God. Yes, God has a plan for us as the Word says in Jeremiah 29:11: "I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for." That's the Word of God; but we have to receive, accept, and apply His plan, which is revealed in His Word, in order for it to become our destiny. Regardless of what it feels like or looks like, we have to will His plan into our lives. The Lord will not put His will above ours. The responsibility of our destiny is ultimately on us. I decided to take you on a journey through my story. This approach has really allowed me to unpack experiences, emotions, thoughts, and questions that lingered in my head. Prayerfully, by gaining insight into my personal journey, you will be able to identify subtle (and not so subtle) moves of God in your life.

TRIUMPH'S ASHES is a triumph! TOP FIFTY INDIE BOOKS OF 2021 (as chosen by Read Free.ly) "The Aremis War - Volume 4 gives readers a complete package, drama, love, suspense, excitement, heartbreak, danger, blood and humor. All in one book." - Bookish Reviews Kendra Cassidy thought that by toppling the Solarian Union she could end a bloody war she never wanted. But the Union of Artemis has risen from the ashes, bent on destroying the Terran Federation and slaughtering the rebels on Luna. Vasilia Newling has wiped out one of the four ruling Families, imprisoned another, and declared herself Empress. With a compliant and complicit First Councilor, there's nobody left to rein in her ambition, or her bloodlust. When the United Earth Government turns against her, Kendra wishes nothing more than to forget it all and flee to the stars with her wife and children. But her allies, her friends, her ohana, need her on Earth, standing up for them. Now everyone Kendra loves is in the path of the firestorm, and she must decide who and what to sacrifice. Aided by her fellow dreamers, Kendra and her Terran Federation struggle to resist the looming threat of the Union. Plots, counterplots, espionage, treachery, all set against a backdrop of personal courage. Both sides know that there is no victory without cost, but who will pay the price?

Madeline Dare trades New York's gritty streets for the tree-lined avenues of Boulder, Colorado, when her husband Dean lands a promising job. As a freelance journalist in her new town, she closes in on a serial arsonist at large in the city.

First presented by the Royal Court Theatre in London in September of 1996, Ashes to Ashes is a triumph of power and concision. In the living room of a pleasant house in a university town outside of London, Devlin, threatened by his wife Rebecca's recollections of an abusive ex-lover, questions her relentlessly in his need for a single truth. In her seamless blending of what she knows of violence with the wider violence of the world, Rebecca reveals an eerie communion with the dead victims of unnamed political barbarities.

After a three year losing streak in the Ashes, complete with a painfully recent 3-0 loss in England, facing the victorious English cricket team so soon was never going to be an easy battle. The public's faith in the young Australian team was waning. Despite their failures, captain Michael Clarke records in his diary a feeling of hunger in his team: a hunger to strike back, a hunger to prove their talent to the world. A hunger to return the urn. Michael Clarke led his team to an Ashes victory at home in a 5-0 triumph over the 2013-14 summer. Along the way, the tide of public affection turned in his favour for the first time. Clarke had previously been respected for his deeds as a batsman, but had not truly won the hearts of sports fans. This Ashes series changed that. Clarke showed the grit, talent, charisma and aggression Australian sports fans look for in their leaders. Revealing and insightful, Clarke once again puts his unique mark on the sport, giving us his account of how he rallied both the team and public behind him to bring the urn home.

Vivianne Knebel was born illegitimate in 1943 in the epicenter of Nazi power, Berlin, Germany. Her free-spirited and strong-willed mother, Marija, fought to keep her alive among falling bombs and Soviet attacks. After the end of World War II, with much of Berlin razed to the ground, Vivianne came to know poverty and constant hunger. As a teenager, she immigrated to Canada, but in her new homeland, times became so desperate that she had to beg for money to eat. After dropping out of school to find work, Vivianne became the victim of sexual harassment. Spiraling into depression, she attempted to take her life, but was miraculously saved by a six-year-old child. Falling in love with a fellow German immigrant, Wiland, proved a pivotal turning point for Vivianne. He saw a wellspring of potential in her and believed that she could become more than she had ever imagined. They married and moved to the United States. In the land where so many immigrant dreams are built, Wiland encouraged Vivianne to pursue endeavors that would test her mettle, including piloting a plane, running a marathon, and taking on a key role in supporting his business enterprise. Vivianne's journey of personal growth later gave her the courage to battle cancer and embrace a spiritual life.